Propulsion of street-cars and other vehicles



- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. N. F. GRAHAM & H. H. YOUNG.

. PROPULSION OF STREET CARS AND OTHER VEHICLES. N0.-29Z,483. I PatentedJan. 29, 1884.

(No Model.)

INVENTORS '|TNEssEs. l

N. PETERS. Pmwum m mr. Waihl'ngluln n c.

' (No Model.) v 2 SIieetsSheet- 2.

' N. F. GRAHAM 85" H. H. YOUNG.

PROPULSION 0F STREET CARS AND OTHER VEHICLES. No. 292,483.

Patented Jan. 29, 1884.

-INVIENTVO}RS WITNESSE5 YN. PETERS. Phaln-mmn mr. Wnhi m D c,

UNI ED STA ES P T ()FFIQ NEIL r. GRAHAM, or FALLS onunen, AND HOWARD H. YOUNG, OF'CAR- LINS SPRINGS, VIRGINIA.

PROPULSION OF STREET-CARS AND OTHER VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letterslatent No. 292,483, clated'January 29, 1854:.

Application filed May 29,1883. (No modelJ I0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, NEIL F. GRAHAM, re-

"siding at Falls Church, in the county of Fair- 'inthe Propulsion of Street-Oars and-other Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates tov the propulsion of street-ears and other vehicles by stationary motors at one or both termini of the road, arranged to rotate corrugated drums for imparting motionto a corrugated endless chain or its equivalent operating within a wedge-shaped tached to the cars and arranged in such a excavation or sewer; audit consists, specifically, in the use of a reversible, detachable, and adjustable corrugated shoe or shoes, at-

manner as to have the corrugated face thereof engage with corresponding rounds or corru- 'gations 011 the endless conveyer, and when raised, lowered, tilted, or unelamped to a degree sufficient to clearthe shoe from contact faces the sharpened angular-shaped cavitieswith the endless conveyer will automatically operate the brakes.

We are aware that serrated surfaces have been employed to engage each other for the j purpose of propelling vehicles, and therefore disclaim their use. In the use of serrated surand points tend to make their hold uncertain and render them liable to pinch and bind the teeth in seating themselves, and consequently render their hold uncertain and attended with endless conveyer a series of corresponding corrugations, consistin g, inform, of exact semicircles, which, when brought in contact, adapt themselves uniformly to their counterparts, and become engaged without injury to their conformation and with the leastepossible con- I cussive force, thus securing the required desid eratum of applying-them instantly and insuring their ready release.

As we in alike man 5o ner employ semicircular corrugations on the outer periphery of the motordrums for entoinatically apply and release the brakes.

gaging corresponding corrugations on the endless conveyer, the like advantages "accrue in this case, added to which is the fact that the employment of corrugated surfaces, when used for continuous motion, tend to diminish friction, and at the same time insure traction.

We contemplate adapting our invention to the street-cars now inuse without changing.

their form ordispensing with any of their present appliances, as the same brakes are connected to our shoe-arms, and the cranks heretofore used for applying the brakes are employed to raise and lower and clamp or unclamp the shoe, secure it in position, and au- 7 In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a two-horse street-car with our corrugated shoe pivoted 'on'hangers secured to the bottom of the car, showing the shoe raised to prevent contact with the endless conveyer, the position of which is represented by a dotted line in this figure. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of one track, with a' part of a streetcar in seetion,showing the wedge-shaped central excavation to be utilized as asewer, and also contains the tramway for the endless eonveyer when applied to each track. The shoe disengaged from the endless conveyer is shown in this figure. Fig. 3 is. a partial elevation of a portion of two street-ears, showing the excavation used for the endless conveyer applied to Lil the intermediate space along the length of the two endless conveyers, shown as traversingin opposite directions; and in this viewthe shoe is shown engaging the endless eonveyers. Fig.

4 is a plan of a portion of the endless conveyer when formedeither of curved links, as

shown in the sectional view, Fig. 5, or straight,

as shown in Figs. 6 and 11. InFi-g. Atherounds constitute the corrugations for the lower face of the shoe to engage with, as illustrated 'in the side elevation, Fig. '11. Fig. 6

illustrates a straight link corrugated on its upper andlower edge. The lower corrugations thereof, engaging the corrugations on the motor-drum, impart the required movement to the endless c0nveyer, and the upper corruga- IOO tions serve for engaging the corrugated shoe or clamp arm attached to the car. Fig. 7 is a side elevation, showing the corrugated eonveyer applied to a wire rope or endless chain, and the corrugated shoe and section of motordrum engaging therewith; Fig. 8, a sectional view, showing the corrugated shoe-face detachable. This feature of our invention we intend to apply to the corrugated face of both the shoe or shoes attached to the ear and the corrugated face of the endless conveyer, in order to expedite repairs. Fig. 9 shows the corrugated drums used for the propulsion of the endless conveyers, which may be arranged to rotate horizontally or vertically, as required, and in Fig. 10 an endless chain is shown, the links of which engage with corresponding lugs on the drum for its propulsion. The device for having its upper face present a continuous corrugated surface throughout its length is omitted in this view. Fig. 11 is a sectional view of a straight link, showing the corrugated face of the car-shoe engaging the rounds of said link for the propulsion of the ear, and illustrating by dotted lines one way of raising the car-shoe to free it from contact with the corrugations on the endless conveyer; Fig. 12, enlarged sectional view of the tramway for the endless conveyer, showing the sides of the ways (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) turned up to guide the conveyer, also a suitable track for the friction-rollers to traverse, and a lower support used to prevent the swag of the conveyer. Fig. 13 is a sectional View on a larger scale of the shoe-arm, taken on the line X X, Fig. 2, illustrating the beveled edges of the shoe-arm to assist in removing any obstruction which mayfind lodgment in thelongitudinal groove it traverses, showing also the employment of a series of friction-rollers on the lower face of the metal bars or plates which form the groove for the traverse of the shoe-arm. These rollers, having contact with the sides of said shoe-arm, may be used,when necessary, to turn sharp curves and to lessen friction, and thus assist the movement of the ears carried by the endless conveyer. Fig. 14 is a plan of conveyer and sectional view of a corrugated clamp or shoe arranged to automati-.

cally clamp the corrugations on the endless conveyer. Fig. 15 shows the use of a screw drainage thereof off or to other sewers, and

by proper appliances arranged to connect with the water plugs or mains, in order that the car or centrally, as shown in Fig. 2, and provided with a slot, a, to admit of ltsmovement up or downby the action of crank-arms I), actuated by rods b, b", and b, all controlled and operated by the ordinary crank-armscon both ends of the car.

The brake-rods 11- are attached to crankrods on the shoe-arm A, so that raising the shoe-arm applies the brakes, and when lowered to bring its corrugated face in contact with the endless conveyer the brakes are simultaneously released from contact with the wheels.

\Ve contemplate operating the shoe in its 'upward and downward movement, or the corrugated clamp in opening and closing by the direct action of a screw applied to the shoe through the medium of suitable devices employed to' cause the crank-arms c to raise and lower the shoe, or open and close the corrugated clam1" and in all modifications thereof the raising and lowering of the shoe-arm A effects the automatic action of the brakes, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

The endless conveyer C may consist of a series of curved or straight links, (I, pivoted toget-her by bolts (1, and one or both sides of the links provided with strong lugs d, fashioned thereon or secured thereto and arranged equidistant, so as to engage withcorresponding lugs on the outer periphery of the motordrums D, employed for the propulsion of the endless conveyer O. The bolts or rounds d (see Figs. 4, 5, and 11) on the endless conveyer are utilized in this form of conveyer to engage with the corrugations on the bottom face of the shoe, as illustrated in Fig. 11 and in Fig. 6. The corrugations on the links cn gage similar corrugations on the motor-drums D, and also those on the shoe or clamps A.

A wire rope, as shown in Fig. 7, surrounded throughout its length by a corrugatedfaee, E, may be employed to engage the shoe; or the endless band shown in Fig. 8 may be substituted as a modification, where found practicable.

Our continuous conveyer (illustrated in Fig. 4) may be arranged by being properly deflected in its passage around and over the drums D, to serve the purpose of presenting its corrugated face alternately to the action of the shoes traversing each track, so that the lower face of the endless conveyer O, in its passage around the drum, will become the upper face on the adjoining track. By this arrangement it will be seen that the corrugated face of one endless conveyer is utilized to carry the ears on both tracks in opposite directions.

Small friction rollers d, rotating on the boltsd, may be employed to support the endless conveyer on the tramway F, and to guide its movement along the ways 0*, and to lessen friction. 1

Fig. 13 illustrates friction-rollers 0, applied to the plates 0, which plates form the groove for the shoearm A to traverse in. This feature is especially adapted to turning curves where there is liability of the shoe-arm binding.

ICC

The corrugated spring-clamp G, attached to the shoe-arm A, is operatedby means of depressing or raising the shoe -arm, which is within the control of the person who applies thecrank-arrn c, for operating the brakes, as shown in Figs. 1 and 14, and by the direct action of the screw H for operating the corrugated shoe or clamp and applying the brakes, as shownin Fig. 15.

The tramway F is provided with plates 0 and c, to serve as guides and ways for the traverse of the endless conveyer. These plates may be constructed plain on their upper and lower faces, as shown in Fig. 3, or flanged and grooved, as shown in Fig. 12.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is' 1. The corrugated adjustable shoe A, for the propulsion of vehicles, substantially as described.

2. The corrugated shoe A, in combination with an endless corrugated conveyer, C, travcling in a 'sewerageexcavation, for the propulsi 011 of vehicles, substantially as described.

3. The corrugated motor-drums D, in combination with the corrugated shoe A and oorrugated endless conveyer O, substantially as described.

4. In the endless conveyer O, the combination of the pivoted links (1, pivot-bolts d, lugs alt-rounds orbolts d, and friction-rollers 01*, adapted to the said conveyer, substantially as described.

5. The endless conveyer O, in combination with the shoe-arm A, plates 0, c and c fric tion-rollers 0*, and tramway E, substantially as set forth.

6-. The combination, with the corrugated endless conveyer G, of a device upon the car to engage therewith, having a correspondinglycorrugated engaging surface or face, as and for the purpose set forth.

NEIL F. GRAHAM. HOWARD H. YOUNG.

\Vitnesses:

SAML. C. MILLs, GEORGE W. BEAt. 

